GSC’s West Virginia Legacy Project

As a nation, Americans have had few years of relative peace, with many families parting with loved ones to serve for the country. West Virginia is not any different than other places in the nation where soldiers leave home to face the realities of war. In fact, West Virginia sends more soldiers per capita to the military than any other state. Now, thanks in part to help from Glenville State College, the West Virginia Legacy Project will present its first show, “A Tradition of Service” at Yeager Airport in Charleston West Virginia.

Glenville State College has been working on the project for several years, raising money and interviewing nearly 250 West Virginia veterans to gain and preserve their personal memories of these trying times. This show in Charleston features 36 photographs honoring these living legends from World War II up to the present conflict in Afghanistan. These pictures of West Virginia veterans have been taken by Mark Romano, a GSC alumnus.

The original idea for the Legacy Project originated from the Robert F. Kidd Library staff at Glenville State College. Bob Henry Baber, who is a Major Gifts Officer at the college, is the director of the project, with assistance from GSC Library Associate Jason Gum, who oversees the college archives, as the project leader. “This program is a gift to me,” states Baber, “I am honored to help guide this project and keep the stories of our service men and women alive for years to come.” Gum adds, “Veterans experiences are part of the American being. A West Virginian’s story of service complements a collective identity that West Virginia can share.”

The show will return to the GSC campus on Monday, November 5 at 5:00 p.m., where it will open along with the publication of the project’s first book Heroes Among Us. This book is a collection of photographs, veterans’ quotes, and short stories taken directly from the veterans own accounts. So take the time to look and honor these legacies of West Virginia.